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THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST 
CHRISTMAS 



























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THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST 
CHRISTMAS 


JOSEPHINE PITTMAN SCRIBNER 


THE PILGRIM PRESS 

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO 





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PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 













































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THE 

PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

JT was a bleak December day in the 
year 1620. All day long, the May- 
flower struggled along the coast 
amidst the rain and snow, her rud- 
der broken, her masts split in three 
pieces, and heavy seas dashing over 
her bow. The men had been called 
to man the oars and all were filled 
with anxiety and grief and apprehen- 
sion of unknown perils to be faced. 
It was as if the Almighty would try 
them, as he tried Abraham. What 
could now sustain them but the spirit 
of God and his grace? If they looked 
behind them there was the mighty 
ocean, which they had passed and 
[7] 






THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

which was now as a main bar and 
gulf to separate them from all the 
civil parts of the world. If they 
looked forward, what could feed their 
hopes; what could they see but the 
weather-beaten face of the wilder- 
ness, the summer gone and the whole 
country full of wild beasts and wild 
men? And what multitudes there 
might be of them, they knew not. 
Locked in the airless cabins, with 
the hatches battened down, were the 
women and children. Twenty little 
children to amuse and keep quiet, 
while mother hearts were heavy with 
fear and terror. Moving among them 
was an English maid, divinely fair 
in her beauty. No need for her to 
paint her cheeks of damask and rose. 
In her strength and beauty she was 
as an angel of light to the homesick 
[8] 






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THE PILGRIMS FIRST CHRISTMAS 

Pilgrim women. The day had been 
long and dreary to Mary Chilton. 
All night she had dreamed and all 
day she had thought of dear and 
mighty England; of the lanes and 
the fields and the songs of the birds, 
the faces of the neighbors going about, 
and the church at the end of the 
village street with the ivy on the 
tower. The tears started to her 
eyes. She turned away to hide them; 
but they did not escape the notice 
of John Winslow, who was bending 
over the oars. His brave Mary! He 
set his face firmly. Surely she must 
not falter now; she, who, in her own 
splendid health had nursed the sick, 
amused the children, restless at the 
prolonged confinement, kept the Bil- 
lington boy from serious mischief, a 
task at which strong men quailed, 
[ 9 ] 



: 



THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

Between the beat of the oars, John 
Winslow called out softly, “Mary!” 

She moved nearer him. “What 
ails you? Are you sad?” 

“My heart is sore, John. I know it 
is wrong. I love my people and my 
religion is dear to me, but I wish I 
were back in England! Just think, 
John, it is the blessed Christmas 
week. They are making merry, all 
over England, in holly-decked halls, 
with great fires roaring up the chim- 
neys. Feasts are being prepared and 
families are drawing together in love 
and communion. And look at our 
position; tossed on a strange coast, 
with no harbor to enter, no friends 
to welcome us, no inns to entertain 
us and refresh our weather-beaten 
bodies, no place to seek for succor.” 

“Anon,” said John, “but Robert 
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THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

Coppin, our pilot, bids us be of good 
cheer, that there is sure to be a creek 
or river to enter and escape this 
angry sea. And, Mary, I pray you 
do not plague your heart about that 
young scapegrace Billington. I can- 
not comprehend how such a profane 
wretch as his father came to be 
shuffled in with the company of Pil- 
grims. He was not of the Leyden 
church, ’tis sure. And that boy, it 
is providential that the whole ship 
was not blown up when he fired that 
fowling-piece almost within four feet 
of the gunpowder barrel.” 

Mary shook her head. “ He did not 
know the danger. He has been 
cooped up and it is hard to keep so 
many little boys out of mischief. 
With such a father, I grieve for him; 
and for all these little children on 
[12] 

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THE PILGRIMS FIRST CHRISTMAS 

board, that any joy should be cut out 
of their lives.” 

“I pray you, Mary, go to your 
rest, and I promise you, on my 
honor, that the morning light will 
bring comfort and joy. Already the 
sea is abating and Robert Coppin, 
our pilot, says all will be well. Your 
example has been a star of hope. 
Do not yield to despondency now.” 

“I will not, John. It was the 
storm and thinking of Christmas at 
home. And you, John, promise me 
that when you go ashore I may go 
too. I am like the young man in the 
Bible; I want to go out to see what 
I can see. Good-night until to-morrow 
and may the Lord keep you.” 

When the morning broke bright 
and clear, the Mayflower lay in- 
[ 13 ] 





: 

THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

side a good harbor wherein a hun- 
dred sail of ships might anchor. 

To the weary Pilgrims the first 
view of their new home was delight- 
ful. All around were the “trees of 
the Lord,” the mighty cedars, down 
to the very edge of the waters. 
There were oaks, pines, junipers, 
sassafras, and other sweet woods they 
knew not; so the first odors that 
greeted them were not from burning 
hearth fires but the balsamic odors 
of the forest. 

When the shallop was made ready, 
sixteen armed men, some of the women 
with the linen and clothing to wash 
on shore, Mary Chilton and John 
Winslow, entered it and, it being 
flood-tide, made a safe landing on 
the shallow beach. 

Mary Chilton stepped from the 
[14] 





THE PILGRIMS FIRST CHRISTMAS 

little shallop on to a large boulder, 
and the history of women in America, 
and the fame of Plymouth Rock, 
began with her. 

“The others are so busy with their 
linens,” she whispered to John, “they 
have not noticed that I am the first 
woman to step foot on the new land.” 

“And you are the first woman to 
step into the kingdom of my heart,” 
said John, softly. And thus, under 
the fragrant boughs of the pines, 
their troth was plighted. 

The other women exclaimed over 
the fresh pure water which they 
found and the excellent clay which 
washed like soap. It had not been 
possible to wash on board ship and 
it can be imagined they had plenty 
to do on this first American “Wash- 
day Monday.” 

[ 15 ] 







THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

Mary and John walked down the 
dim aisles of the forest. They found 
many pure little brooks and drank 
the fresh water with delight. They 
built a fire to signal to the May- 
flower that all was right. Mary ran 
from one tree to another, recognizing 
them as old friends. “Look, John, 
it is holly, like our own and yet not 
like it; and cedar and, oh, John, 
here is the ground-pine, our own 
ground-pine, trailing its garlands over 
the ground! And walnut trees, full 
of nuts, and great store of strawberry 
and grape vines.” Mary’s face glowed 
with a sudden thought. “Johm we 
will celebrate Christmas, here in 
this new land ! It is true we have no 
stately halls to deck with greenery, 
no great chimneys for the roaring 
fires, no old bells to ring out the glad 
[ 16 ] 




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THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

tidings on the Holy morning, but we 
can trim the cabin of the Mayflower 
with holly and cedar. Look, here is 
wood. We can have a sparkling fire 
on the hearth-box. We will have 
carols, for you know that we Pilgrims 
can sing, John. And we can have 
the communion of friends, and we 
can show our love like Christians 
indeed, one to another.” 

But John shook his head gravely. 
“No, Mary, there will be those who JJ 
will protest and mutter against the 
observance of the pagan festival. It 
savors of Rome, and you know well 
that we have set our faces against 
anything that is used in Popery. 
These are the things from which we 
have fled.” 

“Do not be so strait-laced, John. 
Are we not required to keep in pious 
[ 17 ] 


THE PILGRIMS FIRST CHRISTMAS 

memory such holy days as the Birth, 
Death, and Resurrection? It is meet 
that we should commemorate our 
landing upon these shores. Do you 
know, John, that I am deeply moved 
by the thought that all these first 
days here are holy days. Although 
the glory and the sunlight is hidden 
from us by distress, privation, and 
sickness, yet I prophesy that long, 
long years from now, when our graves 
are leveled and all has vanished, 
men will stand with bared heads 
upon this sacred spot. What we do 
now will all be noted. Let it not be 
said that we forgot the examples of 
oppression and intolerance which have 
always been before us: forgot the bit- 
ter lessons we have learned and failed 
to be kind and charitable and yield- 
ing in little and indifferent things.” 

[18] 




THE PILGRIMS FIRST CHRISTMAS 

“Those are old thoughts for such 
a young head, Mary, and in some 
way you twist the words to suit 
yourself, but go to our dear and 
loving friend, Elder Brewster, and 
see if he deems it fitting.” 

“He is so affectionate and tender- 
hearted,” said Mary, “that I am 
sure he will wish to take part in our 
joys as he has partaken of our dis- 
tresses.” 

“I know what I would do if I were 
he,” said John, smiling down at her 
happy face, “I would let you do it.” 

But John must not shirk the bur- 
den of the work, which was to procure 
firewood and water for use on the 
ship, and when the little shallop 
returned to the Mayflower it was 
laden with casks of fresh water, 
boughs of cedar and juniper wood, 






THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

garlands of ground-pine, walnuts, 
a great store, branches of the red 
holly berries, and the waxen sprays 
of the bayberries. And Mary Chil- 
ton kept her plan in her heart. Upon 
the counsel of Elder Brewster she 
went straightway to Master Jones, 
the Captain of the ship, and unfolded 
it to him. 

The Captain was a rough sea- 
dog, but capable of goodly feeling 
and kindly impulses. He was fair- 
minded and friendly and listened to 
her with respectful attention, and 
when she had done, promised to 
lend his aid to make their first Christ- 
mas in the new land as nearly like 
an English holiday as their means 
and circumstances would permit. 

On the 25th of December the little 
company assembled at night, in the 
[20] 



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THE PILGRIMS FII\ST CHRISTMAS 

cabin of the Mayflower. Garlands 
of ground-pine decked the walls and 
holly boughs graced the posts. The 
cedar wood burning on the sand 
hearth smelled very sweet and strong. 

They kneeled and gave thanks to 
God for the completion of their peril- 
ous journey. 

Then Elder Brewster said: 
“Friends, we are far from home, 
with unknown dangers facing us, but 
let us forget, this night, all that may 
be in store for us and remember that 
the whole civil world is celebrating 
the birth of Christ. Let it be under- 
stood that in no way are we depart- 
ing from the principles for which we 
suffered in England, fled to Holland, 
crossed the ocean, and landed here 
in this distant, savage, and even dan- 
gerous land. God has not revealed 
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THE PILGRIMS* FIRST CHRISTMAS 

His whole will to us, but He has made 
to burn within us a desire for English 
laws, English manners, and an Eng- 
lish home and education for our 
children. It is no priestly rite which 
we are celebrating here, it is the 
manifestation of the ‘Pilgrim spirit,’ 
this gathering together, in one, as 
the children of God, into Christ’s own 
liberty. It is the season of peace 
and good-will, when disaffections 
are forgotten and friendships are 
cemented more closely, and all people, 
as the wise men of old, come bear- 
ing gifts. The first Christmas gift, 
which is ours from this new land, is 
this,” and he held aloft in his hand 
a goblet of sparkling water, fresh and 
clear and pure. “This comes from 
a sweet brook that runs under a hill- 
side and many delicate springs, and 
[22] 


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THE PILGRIMS FIRST CHRISTMAS 

is as good water as can be drunk.” 
He pointed silently to the water- 
casks. 

The famished thirsty ones, who 
for an hundred days had not tasted 
any but stored water, crowded around 
the casks and drank their first New 
England water with as much delight 
as ever they drank drink in their 
lives. 

Then Elder Brewster pointed to a 
large basket of corn or maize, some 
red, some yellow, and some marked 
with blue, a goodly sight. “This, 
my friends, is a gift of Providence, 
without which I do not know what 
we would do. We will not eat it 
but will guard it as precious seed 
with which to make the plantation.” 

They could not admire it enough, 
never having seen anything like it 
[ 23 ] 


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THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

except in the museum at Leyden. 
Scant as their food had been and still 
bid fair to be for a space, they all 
agreed that this seed was a gift of 
God and must be guarded as such. 

Elder Brewster went on: “To-day 
no man has rested. Some have 
felled timber, some have sawed, some 
rived and some carried, but all have 
worked without ceasing to lay the 
foundations of our first homes in 
this wilderness. We receive them 
reverently, these free homes, and 
promise to guard their hallowed walls 
within which our children may first 
learn to love their country and their 
God. 

“And the great gift, my friends, the 
gift that is more than wealth, is the 
freedom to worship God after our 
own wills, to plant the first colony 
[24] 



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THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

for the glory of God and the advance- 
ment of the Christian faith. God 
not only sifted three kingdoms to 
get the seed for this enterprise, but 
sifted that seed over again. Every 
person whom He would not have go 
at this time to plant the first colony 
of England, He sent back, even from 
mid-ocean, in the Speedwell. 

“It is given us to establish the 
principles of self-government and 
freedom of worship and to deepen 
and expand the faith. And now, 
friends, thanks to our hunters, we 
have a feast prepared of roast goose 
and fowls, which will make a pleasant 
change from the dried neat’s tongue 
and Holland cheese and biscuits of 
the ship’s diet. We had like to have 
some deer,” — and here he smiled 
knowingly. “The men saw some 
[25] 



THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

and shot at them but missed them. 
Thomas Bradford said that one buck 
over the shoulder was worth three 
in the bush.” 

There was a shout of laughter at 
the discomfited hunters and then 
they bowed their heads to say grace 
and then fell to with many expressions 
of good will. It was sweet and com- 
fortable to see such lively and true ex- 
pressions of dear and unfeigned love. 

While they were feasting, Mary 
Chilton slipped away. Down in a 
lowly bed lay a mother and a young 
babe, even as that other mother of 
old; low and mean and poor the sur- 
roundings, but holding the hope, 
almost divine, of a people. 

Mary bent over the brooding 
mother and in her face was an ado- 
ration not of earth but of heaven. 

[ 26 ] 





THE PILGRIMS’ FIRST CHRISTMAS 

“Susanna, are you asleep?” she 
said softly. 

“No,” said the mother; “I but 
lie here, wondering what this new 
land has to give my babe. I am 
heart-sick with fear.” 

Mary put a sprig of bayberries in 
her slender hand and replied, “ Rather, 
Susanna, ask what your babe will 
give to the new land. He will give 
his strength and his faith and his 
youth. Give him to me a moment.” 

And she bore him up to the com- 
pany. 

“Friends,” she said, “I bring to 
you another Christmas gift. I bring 
to you a new citizen, born in the land 
of the free with no heritage of op- 
pression and cruelty.” 

“A citizen! A citizen! It is an 
omen!” they cried, and little Pere- 
[27] 

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THE PILGRIMS FIRST CHRISTMAS 


grine White was handed around and 
admired while the Pilgrims sang, with 
lusty voices, the good old English 
carol, “Unto us a child is born.” 

Susanna White, lying there in her 
lowly bed, heard and marveled and 
was content. 




^JMD so the gifts were passed, that 
first Christmas in 1620. They 
reveled in things of the soul rather 
than the body. They counted their 
tale of gifts and they were good. 
The clear, sparkling water; the seed 
corn, precious as jewels; the begin- 
ning of the free, fair homes; the 
new citizen, the little pilgrim; and 
the great gift of self-government and 
the freedom to worship according 
to the dictates of their consciences 
and to deepen and expand the living 
faith. 

But the greatest gift of all is the 
mighty nation that has sprung from 
their loins. They have multiplied as 
[29] 














NGV 6 1913 





LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



□ 0D52Tfl 


